Deathwatch Equestrian deployment
by axios
Summary: Equestria will soon be a battle ground. Beset by that which ponykind cannot hope to beat. Yet six beings crafted in war will stand to defend all ponykind. They are The Deathwatch.


The Moon hung high in the nights sky, bathing Equestria in its magnificent glow, illuminating the very beauty of all caught under its brilliance. None more so than the majestic high reaching spires of Canterlot, home to the Royal Sisters, each regent over a celestial body and each charged with both ruling and protecting their subjects from any and all threats.

Yet as many across this land of peace and harmony slumbered, one could not for something had drawn her from the duty of guarding the dreams of her subjects, for she had heard something cascading throw the world of dreams itself, an all inspiring battle-cry one only a true warrior with his duty at the forefront of his mind could muster. A type of battle-cry she had not heard since before she was banished to the moon, it tugged at her heart recalling to a memory that was neither hers nor her darker sides, but one she had been given by someone she had only met within the world of dreams... Her father.

Sighing she gazed out of a window, over the rolling countryside glowing brilliantly in her moon light. A smile, weak as it might be crossed her lips knowing that even though her night might still be shunned by almost every pony it was not for fear but for a need for rest.

But this was the last concern on her mind, but the source of the battle-cry she had heard, once more she entered the world of dreams ready to find the source. Returning to her most favoured place took great effort on her part for to enter the world of dreams only her spirit could venture in such a place, for it was the immaterial world for near complete chaos and constant change. Such a place is not one a weak willed being could enter and return sane, it took decades of mental discipline to enter such a chaotic place and return unscarred... sadly the regent of the moon, Princess Luna had learned this lesson the hard way a millennium ago and it was one she never wanted to repeat.

Slipping into the dream world she gazed at the vibrant colours and swirling patterns, such chaotic majesty there was in their very being that to describe them was something no mortal mind could comprehend; only through sight could such marvels be truly understood.

Slowly Luna flowed through the etheric either of the dream world following the vibrations the battle-cry had left, she followed the battle cry to its source. A large mobile wreck, it resembled an asteroid merged with both several gothic cathedrals and space faring warships, it was in fact a Space Hulk. Ancient debris formed over several millennia housing ancient powerful archeotecho and near indestructible warships, yet this Hulk held something more, a dark horrific alien race prowled the halls watching; waiting for prey to enter so they could feed and evolve to become deadly.

Sensing life from within, Luna raised her right hand and a deep royal blue hue flowed from her fingers, closing her eyes only to have them fly open moments later glowing an eerie white, Luna viewed that which was transpiring inside the Space Hulk.

The Corridors were alive with them. The ceilings, air ducts, walls, the floor; everywhere, a tide of tooth and claw, a Xenos organism adapted for their task at hand, they surged forth like with the motion of a singular limb of a much greater mind, slavering and chittering with lethal intent as the swept towards the trespassers.

Insatiable.

Uncontainable.

They surged forwards, minds linked in purpose, driven by a single terrible will, a horrifying intelligence drove them forth in this cold metallic Space Hulk, from beyond even the gaze of the ruinous powers. The command was given in no language of sound; nor words but it was clear in its intent; a single, all-powerful impulse untranslatable to the Equine or Human minds. The closest approximation would have been _Feed!_

But _feed_ was too simple a word for their actions, something so fundamental to the Xenos life-cycle, to the cancerous spread of their merciless kind across all known space. The impulse reflected a complete cycle of purpose, of experience, of need:

Feed. Utilize. Adapt. Grow. Spread. Kill. Feed.

So it would go, on and on, until the universe held nothing left to devour.

Unless, of course such a cancer was expunged, cut out and excised with precision and lethal violence.

Five stood before the unyielding tide of Xenos; five warriors, unafraid, heavily armed and clad in ceramite armour. They were Adeptus Astartes, or as they were more commonly known the Space Marines. The Holy Emperor of Mankind's will made manifest, unflinching, unyielding and devoid of fear. But what could five hope to do? They were almost certain to be overwhelmed here in claustrophobic depths of a Space Hulk. The numbers they faced were to numerous and in constant flux to count... and yet, they did not fear.

Crafted for war their minds could not register such emotions, only one thought did cross their minds at such a time_Kill_, for like the Xenos they faced the instinct to _kill_ was as much a part of their life cycle as that of the Xenos hungering for their very being.

Muzzle flare from three bolters strobed the corridor. The air beat with a deep tattoo, bolt after bolt after bolt. Exo-skeletal ribcages shattered. Blood sprayed in dark fonts from punctured heads; torso and joints were limbs once resided. Xeno bodies burst from within as large-calibre rounds detonated deep inside alien flesh. To the five nothing felt so right as this killing of foes, but more so now than any other engagement. Like all Space Marines they had been conditioned to it, programmed to live for it. So deeply ingrained, so hard-coded into every neuron. It was not just a mere duty to them, it was a reason to live, the expression of everything they were and ever would be. Every bolt round hit its mark, none were wasted each granting a kill-shot. Each mutilated corpse that hit the gantry floor pushed each marine closer to his ceiling of their performance level.

"Drive them back!" Roared a fourth Space Marine pressing past his three fellow battle brothers, his right arm raised high above his head wielding a long shafted mace topped with a skull donning flaring wings, known more commonly as a Crozius Arcanum. The marine brought the Crozius down with one swift fluid movement, his speed astonishing for one of his size, crushing the head the head of a larger Xeno before him. Another roar escaped the Marines vox-link his head snapping up the to reveal the helmet that encases his head, a macabre skull helm, a visage that depicts the face of the Emperor mordant, evoking the Emperor's wrath. Its red optics fixing upon a second Xeno rushing fourth with front claws raised in a striking pattern, a loud shrill screech erupts from its mouth only to be silenced by a bolt round ripping through its jaw to impact the Xeno behind it.

"By the Throne of Terra. Stop yelling that every single time you swing your Crozius, Khordel, its getting annoying." Hissed Elyas standing to Khordel's right, his bolters muzzle flaring again and again as bolt round after bolt round was expelled from within towards the Xenos.

His bolter chugged to a sudden stop. With reflexes honed over a century of warfare, the marine dumped the empty and hammered home another. Before Elyas could bring his freshly loaded bolter to bear against the Xenos hoard something from on the ceiling reached bony arms towards him. Looking up he caught sight of the Xeno moments before a bolt round impacted it in the chest and detonated. Elyas rolled backwards to avoid what was coming.

A scream, a spray of hot blood. Something long-limbed and heavy crashed onto the gantry floor where he had stood. Sneering behind his helmet Elyas looked down upon the Xeno, he raised an armoured boot and stamped down hard, smashing the grotesque head flat on the gantry floor. The Xeno quivered and twitched as its nerves fired off one last time.

"You should worry more about your own hide brother rather than our prophetic brother-Chaplin's chanting." Elyas glanced to his left looking across at another marine, one he had a history with. A Space marine of the Space Wolves, Yngvar.

No chance to respond as prox-alerts on Elyas's retinal display told him Xenos were closing at an increased pace. He marked each by distance, levelled his bolter and fired – so few meters! – with the aid his Brothers he dropped them as they came.

Bolt after bolt after bolt.

"We fall back _now_, brothers, this position is over run!" The fourth marine growled, a Storm Warden to be exact.

"Stand and fight Kestyr!" Elyas snorted as he dropped several more Xenos who rushed their positions. "We are holding this line! The other Kill-Teams have not returned our Vox-links. Give them a damned chance."

"It's _our_ chances that concern me!" Kestyr shot back as he unloaded another bolt into a Xeno leaping high into the air. "We have no way off this Throne forsaken Space Hulk!"

Before Elyas could respond a sudden blinding wash of white light erupted five metres to his left along with a hearty yet slightly insane laughter. As another Battle-Brother of his fired the heavy flamer attached to his right arm. A torrent of ignited promethium washed over the ranks of the charging Xenos, filling the corridor with blazing, screeching bodies that thrashed and danced as they burned. In such an enclosed space the weapon was supremely effective.. at least while its ammo lasted.

"I agree with Kestyr. We must fall back to a more defensible position." The marine wielding the heavy flamer grumbled as he let loose another intense burst of ignited promethium.

"Both Xavier and Kestyr have a point Dark Angel!" Khordel interrupted as his Crozius impacted the skull of another Xeno. "Our brothers, though it pains me to say it, have fallen to this Xenos tide and we shall to lest we fall back to a better position." Elyas snorted in response as he raised and armoured boot kicking a Xenos in the chest causing it to hit the floor, he followed this action up by planting the same armoured foot squarely in the Xenos chest ending the beast's existence.

"Their Reasoning is sound Elyas" Yngvar uttered as he swung his bolter around launching a volley into a nearby air duct, screeching escaped the duct as the Xenos inside were struck by bolt rounds.

"Fine!" Elyas barked gritting his teeth. "Xavier you lead us out me and Yngvar will cover our backs!"

"I'm almost empty brothers!" Yngvar added as his bolter chuged to a stop the magazine having emptied the last of its bolt rounds. "By the _Wolf_! Throw me a magazine."

Elyas scowled under his helmet, always hating Yngvar referencing to this _Wolf_, he was a disrespectful fool, irreverent beyond any other Space Marine he had ever encountered. Nevertheless, between shots, Elyas tossed Yngvar a full bolter-mag, watching his brother move down the passage behind them Elyas jerked his head back signalling to Yngvar it was their turn to fall back. Nodding Yngvar moved first walking backwards down the passage at a slow pace, the muzzle flare from his bolter the only light exiting the passage as Yngvar fired giving Elyas the supporting fire he need to break from the fight.

Moving down the cramped passage was not easy for the bulky armoured Marines but nevertheless they kept moving, the Xenos following behind the passage slowly their pursuit also. Finally the five entered a large circular chamber with only one way in and one way out... _The passage they had used_.

"Xavier, by the Emperor you have led us into an even worse position!" Khordel yelled turning to face him, his skull shaped helmet further empathising his anger.

"This is a Space Hulk! Khordel, we cannot predict where its passages lead!" Xavier retorted turning to face the passage raising his heavy flamer. Kestyr Yngvar and Elyas followed suit dropping to one knee raising their bolters aiming at the door prepared to make a final stand.

But nothing came through the passage, they knew the Xenos were there watching them, with numbers to over run them in mere moments yet they did not charge. Something was not right and each Battle-Brother knew it. Then they heard it an unearthly battle-scream, high and shrill, yet deep and throaty too, as if it screamed with two voices. The floor shock violently as something burst up from beneath them.

Rolling out the way the five marines aimed to avoid what came up from beneath them, yet one was not so lucky, Elyas was caught by surprise when the large Xenos burst forth from beneath his feet, a huge slashing scythe like claw ran up the length of his chest ripping into his armour, flesh and shattering several ribs. Elyas was launched high into the hair, his body slammed into the far wall, scrapping down the wall onto the floor Elyas gasped a raspy breath fighting to remain awake still tightly clutching his bolter. His helmet optics buzzed with intermittent static. Warning glyphs flashed red. The vox-link hissed in his ear. He thought he heard shouting and bolter-fire.

"Kestyr. Secure Elyas, see to it he doesn't die!" Khordel roared gripping his Crozius tightly in his right hand before drawing his bolt pistol with his left. "Xavier keep him protected! Yngvar with me!"

"Acknowledged!" The three marines reply before Khordel roared again charging the Xeno that erupted from beneath Elyas, Yngvar joining in a similar motion.

Gasping and wheezing for breath Elyas rolled onto his stomach and slowly rose to his knees, his body trembling adrenaline rushing through him, keeping him alive. He fixed his gaze on the Xeno that had brought him to his knees, his vision blurred by the failing optics of his helmet all Elyas could make out was its immense size, serpentine body and segmented nature. Growling angrily Elyas brush both Kestyr and Xavier off rising now to his full height.

"A Trygon... Tyranid filth." Elyas snorted between rasping breaths watching as both Khordel and Yngvar are flung aside with only minor injuries.

Fixing his gaze once again upon the Trygon Elyas takes a step forward and roars gaining the beasts attention. Whipping is head around to reveal its gaping bloody maw the Trygon lets out another unearthly battle-scream, rearing up into a striking pose.

''I'll give you something to scream about.'' Snarled Elyas.

He raised his bolter returning the Trygon's battle-scream with one of his chapter and opened fire.

"_SUFFER NOT THE ALIEN TO LIVE!_"

Within a split second of the battle-cry ringing out Luna felt its full force slam into her etheric form forcing her back, out to the material world, to Equestria and her room where she lay slumped upon her bend.

Gasping desperately for breath her eyes sprang open and her body bolted upright, a cold sweat dripped from Luna's brow for what she had witnessed was something she had longed for yet fear all the same. She and her sister were not alone after all, yet they were for amongst the huge hulking figures she saw neither her farther nor any of her Brothers, but still felt kinship with the five beings. Luna knew that these five were fighting for their lives aboard that floating rock, fighting a foe they stood little chance against a foe she and her sister could not conceive, she could not leave them to this fate, to die alone and become those monsters next meal. No she had to do something! Anything to aid such noble beings, she sprang from her bed and raced towards her door. For in both her heart and mind she knew what must be done, and the six for her subjects that could make it so, the same six that had saved her, but reformed the chaotic spirit of Discord; saved her elder sister and all Equestria form the Changelings and saved the Crystal Empire from King Sombra, _The Bears of The Elements of Harmony_. Six ponies that both she and her sister saw greatness within and six ponies who would surely understand what she wished to do.

Without even a fleeting concern for her night guard Princess Luna begin to make her way to the town were the six she knew in her heart would help resided... the town of Ponyville.

**Author's Note:**

Yes I realize there are only five marines in this chapter the sixth one will be introduced in a later chapter but not right now.

Yes the world of dreams is the warp so don't ask.

Gone back over and changed the major past present tense mistakes.

I also feel I need to point out I am British so I use British spelling


End file.
